I just reviewed a new extensive study of engineer personality strengths. Engineers apparently are high in intellect and theorizing, low in innovation and reliability. We could see the same skewed results for other professions like sales, medicine, construction, librarians and teachers.
The reality is that by the time we get into grade school, we have the behavioral basics of every personality type in our young repertoire. This becomes evident every time I coach someone and find that the fact that they don't often express certain personality skills is not a lack of ability but an issue of habit with it. They are just more accustomed to the habit of certain personality behaviors.
Add to this the neuroscience that there are no permanent structures in the brain meaning anyone can learn anything as long as it's physical possible to engage and express.
We empower people when we ask them to do things within their skill zone but perhaps not their familiarity zone. We depower them by expecting they are equal to their personality test profiles.
